He told his family what he knew, and that wasn't very much.

Lt. Denver Vernon Truelove volunteered for a special mission during World War II. He trained with crews at airfields throughout the United States, including Eglin Field near Pensacola, Fla.

What for, Truelove and the others didn't know. It had to be dangerous, though. Before the men shipped out, family was allowed to pay a long weekend visit in Florida.

"Momma and Daddy and I went to see him," said Blanche Truelove Bowen, 91, Truelove's sister. "He didn't know what he'd volunteered for.

"They kept that a secret."

Months earlier, the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, leaving the United States dispirited. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked military leaders to retaliate. Their answer: The Doolittle Raid, an attack on military targets and major cities like Tokyo that took place 66 years ago on this day.

The legendary raid was named after Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle. Truelove, a native of Clermont and Lula, little towns near Gainesville, was one of 80 men who took part. It's been written that he didn't learn details of the mission until he boarded the USS Hornet and saw the B-25s. Truelove was a bombardier on the No. 5 plane. He dropped some of the first bombs on Tokyo.

On Thursday, a ceremony to commemorate the mission and to honor a Georgia hero was held at the Gwinnett Veterans Memorial Museum in Lawrenceville. Bowen, a resident of Cornelia, was the honored guest.

Veterans escorted her into the museum and pinned a corsage to her lapel. They watched a little of "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," the 1944 war movie. Then the retired teacher was given a collage of medals her late brother earned. Among them: the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the Defense Medal.

"I don't know what to say," said Bowen, whose husband, L.J., persuaded her to attend the event.

Growing up hardscrabble in North Georgia, she and Truelove were close. They chopped firewood and tended crops.

She was two years older, a protector. When a childhood bully bloodied Truelove's nose, Bowen said she "really flogged" the bully, putting an end to the harassment.

In May 1940, Truelove joined the military while he was a junior at the University of Georgia. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He received flight training at various schools and was promoted to lieutenant. He returned home after the retaliatory raid to a hero's welcome. While on leave, he made public appearances and sold autographed war bonds. He was featured in an edition of The Atlanta Journal for selling $70,000 in bonds in one day.

In August 1942, Truelove was assigned to the European theater. He was killed in April 1943, days shy of his 24th birthday, during a raid over Italy. His plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed into the sea.

Thursday's ceremony has been in the works since last fall. Bob Hill, a museum volunteer, conducted the research on the World War II veteran and had wanted to talk to relatives. A columnist for the Banks County News ran a brief that led to Bowen.

"We know for a fact that he was the only Georgian to take part in the Tokyo raid," Hill said. "Just doing the research, I felt like I got to know him, down to his personal traits."

Truelove had a penchant for neatness and immaculate clothes. He ironed his overalls and always combed his hair. He was popular with the ladies and kept the letters they wrote him while on tour.

"My brother," Bowen said. "He was special."